Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Pearl has been a constant companion in beauty by women around the world and Mikimoto remains in the forefront in the manufacturing of cultured pearls. But this isn’t the only thing that Mikimoto does for women. The Japanese cultured pearl jewelry giant also have been contributing to higher causes. Young Survival Coalition (YSC) has been supported by Mikimoto in addressing the needs of young women affected by breast cancer. Last 2009, Mikimoto donated a whopping 50% of their proceeds from “Everything is Possible with Hope” Collection to YSC. With women as inspiration for beauty and being deeply rooted in Japan, Mikmoto doesn’t stray from those that have shaped the brand and continue to give back whenever they can.

After the devastating 2011 earthquake in Japan, Mikimoto donated a new pendant to aid the rebuilding in Japan. The pendant showcases the Akoya pearl – an iconic Japanese gem. The pendant features a cultured 7.55mm Akoya pearl with a disc of red enamel set in sterling silver representing the flag of Japan. The retail price for the pendant is $290 and all of the net income gained has been all donated to the Japanese Red Cross. Mikimoto also has been very active in keeping their production processes at par with environmental standards. Mikimoto factories earned the deep trust from local communities that are involved in production by adhering to laws and regulation to prevent pollution. Sometimes, there’s a moral dilemma presented by patronizing quality brands that contribute social and environmental harm. But one can always be assured that the maker of the pearls resting on her neck and the cosmetics on their skin is an agent of good and not of harm. For pearls the bring beauty and hope visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer for Mikmoto.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Nothing but Piaget comes to mind when the words jewelry and watches are put together. And nothing in its collection speaks much bolder of jewelry watches as the Exceptional Pieces collection. These treasures of bold designs are at the apex of jewelry watches and had Piaget sitting at the top among the greats. The EmperadorG0A34128 for ladies is 32x41mm and cased in 18K white gold that is set with 171 brilliant-cut diamonds. It uses the Manufacture Piaget 530P movement. The dial is with 389 brilliant-cut diamonds and the bracelet showcases 589. If that does not wow anyone try the other Emperador model G0A37040. This model uses the the ultra-thin and self-winding mechanical Tourbillion1270P. Its 18K white gold case, dial, crown and bracelet are set by a total of 1723 baguette and brilliant-cut rocks. These magnificent pieces are testaments to Piaget’s unwavering goal and exceptional ability to continually surpass itself. As part of the Exceptional Pieces collection, these models have been icons of the era that they were first made. But as eternal as any Piaget piece is, the collection shines even brighter by making it among top-tier Piaget pieces ever produced through its entire tenure in the business. For more jaw-dropping Piaget pieces, visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer for Piaget.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Human technology changes and improves from time to time; sometimes rapid, sometimes slow. But sure enough OfficinePanerai evolves with the times. Through elaborate mixtures of aesthetics and high-end watch making, Panerai created a concept piece – the most complicated piece Panerai ever made. As a tribute to Galileo Galilei and his genius, OfficinePanerai produced 30 examples of a Tourbillion with the Equation of time. They deemed it L’Astronomo. The Equation of Time pertains to the difference between the ‘apparent solar time’ (time told by the sun) and the ‘mean solar time’ (time told by the watch). Because of the earth’s peculiar orbit and axis, these two vary every day except for four days a year. They differ up to 15 minutes – faster or slower. The L’Astronomo also tells the sunrise and sunset times but these vary from location to location. Panerai takes care of this by customizing each piece to have the owner’s chosen city and location as the reference point. Not only does the name of the chosen city and the mil estimation engraved on the back, the watch also features a map of the sky above the chosen city installed on the lower part of the device. Depending on the hemisphere chosen, this disc spins left or right updating the night sky above the chosen city. This 50mm watch seems heavy. But it is actually lighter than it looks because the case is in titanium. It is also available in a pink gold case on request. To see the L’Astronomo, visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer of OfficinePanerai.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Many people would say that instead of buying luxury items, you should use the money to help those in need. If maybe you can skimp on luxury and donate some to charity you’d make more of a valuable and positive change to society than just looking good. But thanks to Patek Philippe, this moral dilemma was solved for one buyer; even just in one auction this 2012. Now the proud owner of a special Patek Philippe Ref 5131J World Time donated $1,045,260 to a charity through buying the said item at the mentioned amount in a Christie’s auction. Normally, this model would sell around $150,000 tops. But because this was donated by Patek Philippe to the Child Action charity, it was worth far more. The Swiss-based charity, Child Action, aims to provide medical and surgical care, psychological support for children and teenage suicide prevention. For this special cause, this particular 5131J model was made one-of-a-kind with a “View of the City of Geneva” cloisonne’ enamel dial which represents Geneva Lakeview. This wasn’t the first time that Patek Philippe pitched in the noble effort of Child Action as they have also donated a Calatrava5180T for Children’s Action in 2009 and a Calatrava6000T in 2007. To learn more about the cause visit www.childrenaction.org. To see these and more of Patek Philippe collections visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer for Patek Philippe.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

ParmigianiFleurier is synonymous to state-of-the-art technology wrapped in beauty. And everything that come out of from ParmigianiFleurier is handcrafted by expert artisans in Switzerland. To equal the talent of the craftsmen, ParmigianiFleurier only uses the best materials for their creations. Each watch reportedly takes 400 hours to complete. This creates exclusivity resulting in the production of only a few thousand pieces each year. In 2006, ParmigianiFleurier watch Bugatti 370 garnered the praise of the Japanese Press by winning the “Watch of the Year” title. The watch was made to be a driving watch based on the supercar made by Bugatti, the Veyron. Since its founding in 1996, ParmigianiFleurier rose to be a high-end watch manufacturer known for their iconic modern Kalpa, Tonda, the grand complications of Toric models and the Watch of the Year winner: Bugatti 370. This success is strongly attributed to the independence of ParmigianiFleurier; the freedom of the creation that’s breathing life into concepts of mixing the gems of the past with the dreams of the future. A brand that’s truly a class in itself. To be one of the privileged few, visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer for ParmigianiFleurier.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Some of the first timers to be used in the modern Olympics in 1892 was provided by Longines. It was also the first to use and provide automatic timekeeping for the Federal Gymnastics at Basel in 1912. This was the first dances of Longines with the sports world. And the relationship since then became close and special. Under its belt is 31 Tour de France’s, 14 Olympics, the patronage of Amelia Earhart, qualification and certification of the 1927 crossing of the Atlantic by Charles Lindbergh himself and many more. In American sports, Longines has provided timekeeping services for the Yankee Stadium and Los Angeles Lakers. Longines is no stranger to rewards as well earning ten Grand Prix at international exhibitions up to the Barcelona Exhibition of 1929. Longines thus is no stranger to greatness. In fact, Longines connects these human feats from generation to generation with their timeless releases. With colored heritage and experience, the Longines brand gives every wrist wearer a link to all those sporting and aviation greats. For Longines chronographs, visit Shreve & Co.–authorized dealer for Longines.

Friday, October 19, 2012

The Atmos Clock is a Jaeger-Lecoultre mechanical creation. What’s so special? Well, it does not need to be wound. It absorbs energy from minute changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure. It is reported that it can ran for years without deliberate intervention by humans. The first Atmos Clock, Atmos 0 as it was called, was powered by a mercury-in-glass expansion device that enables it to source energy from temperature changes alone. How much a change? Try one degree. Just a degree change in air temperature can wind the Atmos Clock for two full days. This creative and engineering marvel isn’t the only feat in Jaeger-Lecoultre’s portfolio. Being one of the four “Old Ladies” of horology, Jaeger-Lecoultre has mastered every complication invented. JaegerLecoultre shares its 180 areas of watch-making profession expertise to the world with every watch that comes out the factory. With their latest addition to their collections in 2012, Jaege-Lecoultre moves forward with the Duomètre. “With the revolutionary creation of the Dual-Wing mechanism, the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre has not only conceived a feature that has given rise to a new watch collection called Duomètre, it has quite simply added a whole new chapter to the history of watchmaking.", said Jérôme Lambert the CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. This continuous success is made possible by the eternal quest for perfection and balance. And there is no doubt that Jaeger-Lecoultre has struck greatness already for bringing into existence some of the finest time pieces and watches in the world. To order Jaeger-Lecoultre watches, visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealers for Jaeger-Lecoultre.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

The Swiss are known for their expert craftsmanship and tradition. Few rival Swiss manufacturers and watchmakers in creating the most durable, complicated and beautiful watches in the planet. Mix this technical and aesthetical pedigree to the marvelous efficiency of the latest US technology you will have the International Watch Company. Engineer-watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones dreamed up IWC with the intentions of these two cultures to create parts and movements projected for the American market. With his friend and partner J.H. Moser, they founded the IWC in north-eastern Switzerland and became well-known for the being the only major Swiss watch manufacturers located in the region. With the company’s admiration for the polymath from a little village in Itali, Leonardo Da Vinci, IWC created a line that’s just like the man; ahead of their time. It was introduced in 1985 as the masterpiece of Haute Horlogerie. The mechanical Da Vinci sports a perpetual calendar showing the year in four digits. This line was expanded as editions continue to come out of the factory like the Da Vinci in a hi-tech case of colored ceramic—certainly the first in the world. Other notable collections are the Pilot’s watches, Aquatimer, Portofino Family and the Ingenieur Family. For these are other collections, visit Shreve & Co., your trusted authorized dealer for IWC.

Monday, October 15, 2012

In 2007, Champions raise and fold on the table of the World Series of Poker on TV. But the true connoisseur would not only notice the brilliant plays in the game but also the bracelets the winners get to keep. The coveted Main Event bracelet has 120 diamonds on 136 grams of 18 carat white gold. The Ladies World Champion gets one that is fitted with four black diamonds, two rubies, and 87 blue sapphires. These spectacles wouldn’t be possible without the masters behind these pieces: Corum. Corum is exclusive. It aligns only to brands and people that deserve the high quality standard craftsmanship and art that only Corum can provide. This is apparent upon the release of a £998,000 watch deemed the Corum Classical Billionaire Tourbillion. This is only one of the many high quality and expensively priced watches in their collection. From the Artisan Timepieces with dials depicting wild animals to the Admiral’s Cup which continues to be the benchmark of sheer brilliance, Corum continues to wow collectors with amazing engineering, creativity and durability through the years. To be part of the select few, visit Shreve & Co. - authorized dealer for Corum watches.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

It’s not about just wearing a dress, a coat, a necklace – it’s all about wearing Chanel. With the simple elegance of Chanel products that range from perfumes, dresses, trousers, jewelry and many more, Chanel veers away from the constricting “elegance” of the over-designed clothes and accessories of 19th Century fashion. In the 1920s, Chanel’s made popular the simple-line design of the “flat-chested” fashions. This was to resist the hourglass-figure – the fashion of the times. Many more innovations and trends were set by Chanel, most notably in the fragrance industry in the 1990s. Having diversified, from first selling hats to mistresses, Chanel is now famous for their clothes, fragrances, handbags and wristwatches. But one star emerges from the lines and anyone can guess is right. It’s of course Chanel No. 5—reportedly purchase in some part of the world once in every six seconds. This and many other products have built the House of Chanel that has been the subject of praise, admiration and desire since 1909. Shreve & Co. is an authorized dealer for Chanel.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Ball Watches came from a tradition of precision. 1891 saw the dismal collision between Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway trains at Kipton, Ohio because an engineer’s watch stopped working. The aftermath? Webb C. Ball was assigned to be the Chief Time Inspector. He instituted standards for time-telling precision and a meticulous inspection system for railroad chronometers. After a while, Webb C. Ball’s original jewelry business back in Cleveland became the Ball Watch Company; a company dedicated to providing accurate and durable watches even under difficult conditions. Ball technology features the 3H micro-powered gas lights that can glow up to 100 times brighter than any luminous paint and will last for 25 years. With safety in mind, Ball Watches are also made to be antimagnetic. Brief contact with a man-made magnet will easily affects the accuracy of magnetic pieces. Ball Watches are also shock resistant, water resistant, and scratch resistant—covered by DLC making the materials almost as hard as diamond and smoother than Teflon. Having high cold temperature endurance (made for expeditions in the North & South Poles) and the Ball Crown protection system, Ball Watch Company easily cuts it as one of the manufacturers of the world’s most durable watches. These watches are always tested in adverse conditions by Ball Explorers who travel the world to test themselves in the watches; from the Himalayan Mountains to the Skylab in space. Ball Watches are made to endure. For classy and durable Ball Watch pieces, visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer for Ball Watch.

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Coming from a family of goldsmiths, Marco Bicego was born with it. He didn’t really had to go far to acquire his eye and talent for jewelry. He is a natural with the gift of sensing what women crave in fashion and jewelry. Drawing from his father’s omega necklaces, Marco created his unique “guitar string” coils in early 2000. In early 2002 in line grew and evolved to include the Marrakech, a Marco Bicego “best-seller” featuring his coiled gold strands. Drawing from the spirituality of the Indian shores, the Goa collection has been created. With its diamond fitted untwisted coil, a crisscrossed flattened strands in white, yellow and pink gold follow the curves of women’s body. But most of his inspiration comes from the natural mystery of woman, a mystery that he already seemingly solved. “She is a universal woman of style and confidence; she enjoys the luxury of travel and fine food, appreciates art, history, and fine design. She has no specific age or place, but is a woman who wears creations that flatter her heart and soul, finding luxury in her everyday world and experiences…,” Marco Bicego on the clients he serves. For Marco Bicego jewelry, visit Shreve & Co. – an authorized dealer for Marco Bicego.

Sunday, October 07, 2012

Coming to America a quarter of a century ago, Christopher Slowinski started working as an apprentice jeweler. He was trained by master craftsmen with impeccable pedigree but he wasn’t sure that everyone in the industry was making the right choice as to which direction to go. “Over time, I learned the various processes involved in manufacturing jewelry. To my dismay, I also learned that to cut costs, many companies sacrificed quality.” Christopher observed. “I didn’t want to do it that way. Only through the development of new and better technologies should we reduce our costs, while improving quality. This was my belief, so I set out to make my dream a reality.” Working on his dreams, he had successfully merged his “classic jewelry training” with the revolutionary technological advances. His efforts earned him the grant of many United States and International Patents. One patent that he is particularly proud of is his Crisscut diamond (has nothing to do with his name). Using 77 facets, 33 cuts more than the usual 44 used to cut emerald a stone, the Crisscut brings out the brilliance of fire hidden within high quality stones. With hard work and the strictest devotion to excellence and producing jewelry of the highest quality from the finest materials, Christopher Slowinski has put his brand, Christopher Designs, on the map; and on the top of the charts. Interested in jewelry from Christopher Designs, visit an authorized dealer like Shreve & Co..

Friday, October 05, 2012

Suna offers a vast variety of different styles creating rings for every wedding couple; breathing life to their dreams while keeping their budget in mind. And to produce quality pieces that are guaranteed to last, Suna doesn’t take shortcuts. All Suna wedding rings are set by hand as they veer away from the easy machine method. Suna’s team of skilled artisans and setters take their time and do their best in setting each stone edge to edge – leaving little space between individual stones. With more than 70 years of experience in the industry, Suna Bros has made a name for themselves by their attention for detail. The techniques required to create Suna’s special collections fuses “Old World” methods with cutting edge technology. Furthermore, craftsmanship is married with art as designers and their geniuses render verbal ideas to visual representations to be made into living pieces. As a process-oriented firm, Suna Bros continue to create pieces admired by collectors worldwide. Shreve & Co. is an authorized dealer for Suna Bros.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Starting his career as a gold manufacturer a quarter of a century earlier before starting Michael M., founder and designer Michael Meksian always had a dream. And that dream was to cater to modern and sophisticated women who deserve the best. And the best is what Michael M. delivers to their clients. Embracing a ‘more is more’ philosophy, Michael M. showcases the brilliance of their diamonds over the shimmer of their metal by putting in more diamonds in their pieces. This approach enhances the center stone further garnering a wow from the sophisticated women about to wear them. “I liked the competition in the designer marketplace, and knew that with our level of experience, we could bring something to the customer that was not yet available.” Michael explained. This holds true and apparent in Michael M collections using European shanks worthy of royalty and setting more diamonds over metal in every setting. As every piece is made to be durable, it is covered by a Michael M. guarantee that every piece purchase will end up as a family heirloom for generations to enjoy. For sophisticatedly beautiful jewelry, visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer for Michael M.

Monday, October 01, 2012

“The idea was to treat gold like silk, to make the necklace smooth, soft, romantic, and unique, and our customers love it.”, said CristophWellendorff, the fourth generation director and co-owner. This he said about the family’s prized design, the Wellendorff rope. The Wellendorff rope is the product of the founder’s, Ernst Alexander Wellendorff, passion to genuine values. Wellendorff only uses the best diamonds and colored stones in their collection. And for their prized rope, they still use the same techniques. Talented Wellendorff craftsmen and goldsmiths create a collier using a solid gold wire that extends almost as long as two football fields (160m). “This is the most sophisticated necklace Wellendorff has created since our beginning in 1893,” said Christoph. “The idea was to treat gold like silk, to make the necklace smooth, soft, romantic, and unique, and our customers love it.” For more of Wellendorff products, visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer for Wellendorff.